Any type of flooring comes with inevitable upkeep if you intend to keep the quality maintained, and polished concrete floors are no different. While they are extremely durable and require minimal maintenance when compared to other types of decorative concrete and other flooring alternatives, they do require some degree of regular attention if you intend for their shine to remain long-lasting. Below we will discuss just this and give you some tips on how to maintain your polished concrete floor cleaner over time.
As mentioned, while concrete floors do require some attention, the amount to which you’d pay polished concrete floors is much less than that of other flooring alternatives. The degree to which you attend to polished concrete all depends on how much traffic the area receives. Residential floors see much less traffic than most any commercial or industrial location such as grocery stores or warehouses. Thus, they require much less attention.
Because they require no waxing or sealers, maintenance of polished concrete generally only entails dust mopping to remove any particles of dust or grime that may abrade polished concrete’s surface. Dry dust mopping is then followed by wet mopping using only clean water and clean mops. Some polished concrete floor cleaner experts also recommend using a floor cleaner to uplift any dirt particles so that they may be more easily removed.
Now that you have a better idea of what it means to maintain polished concrete floors, below we’ll list seven tips on how to properly execute this process.
- One of concrete’s ingredients is soil which acts as an abrasive and attracts dust particles which may compromise your polished concrete’s shine and clarity. In order to combat this, when dry mopping, use a microfiber pad to remove any stacked dust particles.
- When wet mopping, ensure you use only clean mops and clean water. If not, you will only further add dirt particles to the surface.
- While locations such as residential areas receive low traffic, commercial and industrial locations such as grocery stores and warehouses receive much more traffic and thus may see more dirt come their way. In these cases, you may want to use a pH neutral floor cleaner in order to suspend dirt particles for easy removal.
- If using a floor cleaner to assist in the removal of dust particles, ensure that you are using on that is pH neutral. Avoid using cleaners with ammonia, bleach, vinegar as well as cleaners labeled with citrus or pine as these are not pH neutral cleaners and could compromise the quality of your polished concrete.
- In heavier traffic areas that require the use of a pH neutral cleaner to remove any stubborn dirt particles, ensure you give the cleaning agent sufficient time to break down the grimy surface. If you apply a cleaner then immediately mop it up, you aren’t giving the agent enough time to break through to do its job.
- At the same time, never leave a cleaning agent on the surface long enough for it to dry as this will only further add to the issue.
- Establish a regular cleaning routine to get yourself in the habit. While the process of keeping your polished concrete floor cleaner than ever is not hard, you must be diligent in your efforts in order for it to remain of superior quality.
Because polished concrete floors are so durable, they require little maintenance when compared to other flooring materials. By following these simple steps, one can ensure the quality of polished concrete floors is long-lasting.
For more general maintenance tips on how to properly maintain polished concrete floors, click here.
There are so many creative and custom options for finishing concrete, but first and foremost important is the concrete itself.